Broken Blue
by rosefields
Summary: The day starts well. Steve has a ring in his pocket and he's taking Danny to his favourite place in the world. But then, there is a plane going down, an emergency ejection. Miles of empty ocean. Danny's hurt, and that isn't the worst of Steve's problems.
1. Chapter 1

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to my newest story, Broken Blue. Please let me know what you think. If you are here from my other story Low, thanks so much for sticking with me. If you haven't read Low, I'd love if you could head over and check it out. Bye for now,  
Rose xx  
This would be canon if I owned.

* * *

"What the hell is happening?"  
Danny's voice is sharp, and it grates as Steve tries to figure out an answer to the question. Alarms are blaring and lights are flashing on the small screen in front of Steve. And he has no idea why.

It was going to be a great day. Steve could feel it. A gentle weight rested in his pocket, a ring. It is a simple silver band, half an inch wide, the small engraving that if one got close enough to they could tell was a steering wheel. He was sitting next to the most important person in his life, a smile on his face as he steers a borrowed plane. He's taking Danny to his favourite place in the world, a small island just off the coast, uninhabited but for those with either air or sea access. He'd first been there with his father when he was five. They'd taken a walk to a waterfall, a three-hour hike from the place they'd landed their boat. Steve had complained the last hour, but he remembers the awe when they'd finally arrived. There was no one else there, the only sound the rushing water and Steve's awed breathing. He's been planning this particular expedition for months. He'd first asked for Chin's blessing, and once receiving it with an excited shout and a crushing hug, he'd commandeered Chin's wide network of people all over the island for a lane to fly them out. He'd packed a lunch and planed a landing spot only two kilometres from the waterfall; long enough to enjoy the walk with his partner (and gather his nerve) but short enough to not piss the blonde off. He's going to show Danny the waterfall, pull him into the water fully clothed. He'll swim towards the waterfall, wading through the shallows with Danny following him because Danny always follows him. He'll pull him under the waterfall and Danny will shriek and then deny he's shrieked, and suddenly they'll be in the tiny cave Steve had found that first day with his father, light shining through the curtain of water. He'll lean close to Danny, pull the shorter man in until they're touching, until they are one. He'll pull out the ring he'd spent painstaking hours with Kono choosing, pouring over magazines and debating over the engraving. He'll look into Danny's eyes, breathe him in. he'll say the words he's practiced in the mirror over and over again. And if he's lucky, Danny will say yes.  
The day will be perfect. Steve can feel it.

They are half an hour out from the island when a red light flicks on at the top of the dash. He peers closer to have a look, when Danny's voice interrupts him.  
"Babe can you hear that?" And now Danny mentions it, yeah, he can. There is a gentle spluttering noise, and while they listen to it, there is a plash of fire and all hell breaks loose.

That brings Steve to the present, trying to figure out what is wrong with the plan and how to survive whatever is happening. It is with dread he realises they've lost both engines, and they'll crash long before they make it to any land mass. And crashing in the ocean in a plane of this size will almost certainly be a death sentence. Steve's mind is ticking over possible scenarios, drawing up one possibility, and he knows Danny won't like it.  
"Danny, do you trust me?" as Steve asks, he's already sending out a mayday message, automated text message pre-prepared.  
"Of course, babe, what do I need to do?" Danny's already unstrapping. The way he puts his trust, his life, straight into Steve's hand makes love expand in his chest until he feels like he may break.  
We're going to jump. There's no way we're going to make it if we crash, which is where we're heading. There's two chutes in the back and if we wait any longer we might as well jump into concrete. So, I'll ask again, do you trust me?"  
Danny is standing now, and Steve rises to meet him. "Of course, I do."

They're standing at the back of the plane, parachutes strapped on as Steve gives Danny last minute advice. They have a minute, maybe two, before they have to jump or it will be too late. Steve realises there is a chance it's his last opportunity to ask Danny to marry him. The thought has his stomach twisting. He swallows his heart from where it's thumping up into his throat. He reaches into his pocket, pulls out the box that he hopes holds his future.

He suddenly recalls the day he'd taken a drive to Rachel's house. Danny had been in a meeting, and Steve had used the opportunity to make one, final preparation. It was more important than the ring, the place, the words. He'd had brief words with Rachel, been pulled into a teary hug by the woman who seemed to like him despite the qualms with his partner. And then he'd spoken to Grace. He'd asked her permission, told her his plans. He'd watched as she danced round the room, hugged her as he swore her to secrecy. With a final hug for the women, and a rough handshake and congratulations from Stan, he'd left. With the approval from the second most important person in his world, he'd finalised his plans.

"Danny," his throat is dry. He wants to kneel but the plane is shaking too much. He looks the blonde in the eyes, opens the box. Danny's breath intakes sharply.  
"This isn't the time or place and it's nothing like I planned, but we're about to jump out of plane and I have to know what you would have said. Will you marry me?" Time is nearly up and now he's said it he's more scared than he's ever been in his life that the answer might be no. But Danny pulls him close, kisses him more desperately than he ever has before, fingers gripping the back of his head.  
"Of course I will. Of course, man, I can't believe you even had to ask. Of course I will. But I'm gonna need a better proposal than that, okay? I want a restaurant, champagne, the whole enchilada. So, you jump out of this plane with me and we'll make a start on that straight away, okay?" Steve nods, grips Danny's hand and feels more nervous than any secret-op he's ever been on because he's holding onto someone he loves. Danny takes the ring, slides it onto a finger. He looks at Steve, a question in his eye.  
"A steering wheel? Is this your way of saying if we get married you get the camaro? Because if it is i might need a raincheck on the whole thing." Despite the situation, Steve manages a shaky laugh. They have seconds, he knows, but there's one last thing to do. He kisses Danny again, opens the door. Over the roar of the wind, he leans to whisper into his fiancés ear.  
"It's because you gave my life direction."  
He closes his eyes, grips Danny's hand, and together, they jump.

* * *

Love it? Hate it? Let me know. Next chapter will be out as soon as I can. I'll aim for tomorrow, but I have a shit-tonne of homework. See you later,  
Rose xx


	2. Chapter 2

Hi Everyone,  
Sorry for the delay, yesterday was crazy; I had football in the morning and basketball in the afternoon, interspersed with homework and my sister's two football games. Please enjoy the next chapter of Broken Blue, and be sure to let me know what you thought.  
Rose xx

* * *

They're falling too fast. The parachutes have opened but they aren't slowing the descent fast enough. Steve is terrified, but not for himself. In the instant he realises they'll never slow fast enough, he has an idea. A stupid, ridiculous idea, but it may just work. H knows how to make his descent faster, and does so, dropping until he's just below Danny. He positions himself so he will hit the water a second before his partner and break the surface tension. He's doe this drill one hundred times in the navy and knows how to land in a way that might save his life. Danny has no such training, and Steve is hoping this move is going to save both their lives. The water is rushing closer, he holds his breath, points his toes, and hopes Danny will be okay.

Danny sees Steve hit a second before he does. He clenches his left fist, making sure the ring on his finger, the _engagement ring_ on his finger, and holds his breath. The impact is jarring, and his he feels his knee go. He holds back a scream, sinking through the water like a bullet. He pulls the quick release Steve had told him about, and lets himself sink further so the chute is left behind. He fights instinct to kick straight back up, remembering Steve's words.  
"Go horizontal, swim away from the chute and then up, otherwise you'll get tangled."  
When he finally breaks the surface, for a second, he can't believe he's alive. He can't see the plane in the sky, and assumes it has crashed. But he can't see it in the water. He realises how lucky he was he is with Steve. He surely would have taken his chance with the plane. He looks around. There are miles of endless ocean, and he can't see anyone else. He tries to tread water, but his knee is in refusing to work. He uses his last breath. "Steve!"

Steve feels his left leg break as he hits the water. The momentum jars him, throwing his head back and slamming it into the water. He forces himself to sink, pulling the quick release straps. He holds his breath and waits, he can't swim upwards and risk hitting Danny. He counts to 90, and exhales, finally swimming towards the surface. His head breaks the water and he hears Danny yelling his name. His leg is burning with agony, and he feels his head spinning. But as he looks towards where he's heard Danny calling, he sees the blonde slipping below the water. Any pain disappears underneath the worry for Danny. He forces himself to swim, slicing through the water ad reaching blindly. He grasps Danny's shirt and heaves him up. Dany surfaces, coughing and spluttering, but he looks alright.  
"Danny, are you okay?"  
"Kind of, my knees gone, I'm struggling to stay up. You?"  
Steve tries not to focus on his leg and head. He's been trained o deal with the pain, he can float for hours, and he can certainly keep the two of them afloat. He can.  
"I'm fine, hold on, alright?" He lies back, gasping as his leg is jarred.  
"Steve, are you sure?" Danny's head is tilted back, trying to stay afloat.  
He ignores the question and pulls Danny so his head is across Steve's shoulder. As his weight settles, Steve realises there is a sharp pain in his chest ad abdomen. With a sinking feeling, he realises at least two ribs are broken in addition to his leg, and his head is starting to throb more with each passing minute. Danny is more important than any of that though.  
"There's a research bout, it's probably only about a three-hour swim from here. I sent a mayday to Chin, he knows where we were headed and he'll know that that's where I'll go. Stay lying back, you won't be able to kick with your knee, I'll tow you."  
"Steve, are you sure?" the water is lapping at Danny's chin, and the pain on his face is enough to push Steve's own to the back of his mind. "I'm sure." He says, hooking his arm over Danny's chest.  
He quickly takes inventory of his injuries. Probably broken ribs, definite broke left leg. He thinks he might be concussed too. But Danny's knee is out. After he'd had dthe last surgery, the doctors had warned him of the dangers of re-injury. It was Steve's job to make sure Danny walked out of whatever hospital they ended up in.

They've been in the water for close to an hour. Steve has his right arm around Danny and his left leg as straight as possible, and he kicks and paddles with the remaining limbs. Steve can feel himself getting cold. He isn't sure if it's shock or hypothermia. Its likely a mixture of both. The fire in his leg is slowly abating, the cold water numbing it, but he can feel himself flagging.

"Talk to me Danno."  
"About what? Danny's voice is quiet, but it echoes, the only noise aside the sloshing of the waves.  
"anything, please, talk about anything. I just need something to take my mind of this."  
"Remember the first time we kissed? We'd just gotten back from…" So, Danny talks, and they continue on, bobbing up and down, a small speck in the vast, unbroken blue.

* * *

"Yes Kono!" Chin applauds from the beach as his younger cousin carves up and down the waves. They've been down at the beach for a few hours now. Steve had taken a day off on behalf of 5-0, and anyone wanting to wreak havoc on the island would just have to wait a day while his two best friends got engaged. He and Kono had been anxiously awaiting 6pm, when Steve and Danny would arrive back at their place for engagement drinks, and had decided to waste a few hours down by the beach. It as now past one o'clock, and he was hoping that on an island off the coast somewhere were two very happy men soaking up their first few hours as an engaged couple. Kono was now jogging up the beach, board tucked securely under her arm.  
"Nice work cous." She sets the board in the sand, running delicate fingers through her lose mane of hair.  
"I needed to get my mind away for a bit, I'm too excited to concentrate on anything else right now!"  
They begin to make their way up the beach to where their bags lay. Kono slides a loose button down over her bikini while chin picks up the towel he'd been sleeping on earlier.  
"Yo, you got a message here." He catches the phone Kono tosses over from her bag. Flcking it open, he feels sick.  
Mayday. 20°13'09.6"N 156°12'38.6"W. Send assistance immediately. Mayday.  
It is the automatic mayday message, which he and Steve had jokingly programmed to come through to his phone the night before. And it had come through some thee hours earlier. Hoping something has gone wrong, he copes the coordinates into google. He realises it isn't an error when the map reference comes up. It shows a spot in the middle of the ocean.

The cousins race up the beach to the pickup truck they' driven down in, Kono carelessly tossing her board in the back, slipping into the front seat while Chin buckles into the driver's seat, tearing towards headquarters. They make good time, and five minutes after seeing the message they race through the office, Chin in casual clothes and thongs, Kono barefoot, dripping wet and half dressed. They make quite the scene. Chin brings up the coordinates on a screen, looking around for anything that might mean his friends will have survived their crash.  
"There!" Kono is pointing to a spot, a few hours swimming away from the mayday point. It's a research platform, used for tracking currents and other oceanographic activities. Its also possibly going to save their friend's lives. Steve knows Hawaii's Islands and he surviving areas better than anyone Chin has met. He'll know the platform is there. Chin's sure. He and Kono race back out the door they came in, leaving confused members of the police in their wake. Kono's on the phone yelling at the coast guard as they go, Chin with his foot as far down as it will go towards the take-off point of the guard's helicopter. Chin hopes to god they'll be in time.

* * *

Steve can see the buoy. He's ready to cry, more tired than he's ever been in his life, and his pain level is reaching his breaking point. When they're close enough, he pushes Danny forward.  
The research buoy is more of a platform, a 3x3 metre square.  
"Climb up Danno." He sees the struggle as Danny manoeuvres a largely unresponsive leg up.  
"Give me your hand Steve." For once, he's only too happy to accept the help. He reaches up, but the second Danny pulls, he lets out the cream he's been holding in all day.  
"Steve? Oh my god!" Steve lays panting on the platform, trying to reign his pain in. "Steve, talk to me babe."  
"Sorry Danno." His vision is beginning to black out, and he thinks he's going to be sick. "Guess I wasn't as okay as I thought."  
"Steve, babe, where are you hurt?" Dann brushes a hand through his hair, brushing the salty strands away from his face.  
"M'leg, I think it's broken. Ribs too. Head hurts. M'really sorry Danny. Tried to be okay. Wanted this day t'be perfect. Screwed it up as usual. M' so sorry Danno. So, so sorry."  
Danny is touching his leg now, and it hurts more than breaking it did. He lets out a moan, head rolling.  
"I'm sorry, I need to have to have a look. Why are you so stupid, huh? You're such a self-sacrificing idiot."  
Steve is an idiot, he knows that and he feels awful because now Danny is worried and shit, is he crying? He raises a hand and wipes away the tear that is gently spilling from his cheek. Danny catches the hand, holds it to hit face.  
"Haven't you got it by now Steve? I can't live without you." He kisses the Steve's had, places it gently back down. "Chin will have gotten the message by now, and he'll be here soon. He will."  
Steve hopes so, because it's getting harder to breathe. A he's tired. He tries to take a dep breath, but it sends him into a coughing fit, which makes his head and leg throb in unison. Maybe if he closes his eyes for a second, he'll feel better.  
"No Steve, open your yes. Please Steve, open your eyes." He blinks, squeezes the hand Danny has now intertwined with his. "Hold on Steve. You got us this far, even with your stuffed-up leg and busted ribs you got us here. Now I held onto you while were doing your SEAL routine, so now it's my turn to do something and all you have to do is hold on, okay?" Danny slides himself under, and the new position takes pressure off his leg and shifts his ribs so he can suddenly breathe. Danny is warm behind him. His eyes sip closed again.  
"No Steve, open your eyes."  
"Sorry Danno. So h'ppy you said yes. So happy. L've you D'nno."  
"No Steve, please, wake up! Wake up Steve!" But the words are lost, and Steve floats away as if on the tide. He doesn't hear Danny's plea, doesn't her the thwacking sound of an approaching helicopter.

* * *

Hi Everyone,  
I've taken creative license a bit here. Steve would likely never be able to tow another man while that injured, and any information regarding the functions of a plane's mayday system are completely made up for the purpose of plot. Like they always say, don't let the facts get in the way of a good story. The coordinates listed really are a spot in the ocean off the big island, but aside from that much of the information in this story is my own imagination running unchecked. Finally, as an Aussie we call flip flops thongs, and I just can't bring myself to use the phrase 'flip flops' in a story. So rest assured, Chin is not wearing women's underwear. The next chapter should e out in the next day. See you then, Let me know what you thought in the meantime.  
Rose xx


	3. Chapter 3

Hi Everyone,  
Welcome to the final installment of Broken Blue. Thank you so much for the feedback and support. Please head over to check out my newest story Truth and Lies, he summary for which will be below. Anyway, enjoy and please let me know what you think.  
Thanks again,  
Rose xx

* * *

"They're there!" Kono's shout crackles in through Chin's headset, and he peers down. He too can see Steve and Danny, and it doesn't look good. Now he's realised the helicopter is there for them, Danny has slumped over. He's resting underneath Steve, who, even from a distance, doesn't look good. He's paler than after any of the many injuries he's ever had, and the fact he's not conscious is a tale in itself. Between the SEAL's lack of movement and Danny's convulsive sobs, Chin is worried they may have been too late.

* * *

"Steve wake up!" Danny's voice is drowned out by the sound of a helicopter. He won't remove himself from under Steve, but he has to make sure he's seen.

"Down here!" he screams, waving his arms. "Please, we're down here!" The helicopter is hovering, and Danny realise that it must be there for them. Steve was right. They'd been found. He slumps over Steve, sobs wracking his body. Steve hasn't responded and his breathing is laboured.  
"They're here Steve, just hold on for a little bit longer."  
A metallic clang sounds and Danny looks up to see a man clad in bright orange and a basket of the same colour.  
"Detective Williams?" Danny nods. "I'm going to take your partner up first, okay? I need you to slide out from under him." He's asking him to leave Steve. He can't. He won't. He clings to Steve, shaking his head adamantly.  
"Detective Williams, I need you to let go of your partner or I'll have too forcefully remove you." Danny shakes his head once again. He is colder than he's ever been in his life and someone is trying to take Steve from him. Rational thought has long since gone. The man sighs and leans towards him. He gently unclasps Danny's hands from where they cling to Steve, and Danny is too weak to fight him. As the man moves to lift Steve, Danny launches one final attempt to hold onto him, thrashing and crying as he's taken away.  
"I'm sorry detective, but you're injured and so is your partner. The more you move, the more damage you risk causing the both of you. I didn't want to do this but it's better for both of you. Just relax okay?" Danny doesn't know what he's talking about until the man leans across and he feels a prick in his thigh. He looks down, already feeling light headed. His head feels heavy, and the man, who is fast becoming an orange blob, holds his shoulders and rests him down, he tries to keep his eyes open.  
"St've." The brunette is being rolled and secured into the basket. Orange blob is gesturing up at the helicopter. His strength gives out, and Danny slips away.

* * *

Chin and Kono watch the scene below worriedly. Danny is fighting Tony, the medic. Tony leans over, and Danny gives up, being guided down and lying, half asleep, as Steve is secured into the basket. Perhaps the worst part is the fact Steve has spent the whole ordeal still. The basket finally makes it to the chopper, and is handed to the blonde haired medic who's stayed behind, Steph. With practiced speed, Steve is rolled out, and Tony is gone before they have a chance to ask anything of him. Up close, Steve looks worse. He's breathing, thank god, but it's laboured, and as Steph cuts off the shirt he's wearing Chin's sickened by the bruising, purple going to black, all over his chest. Steph runs practiced hands over his head, and as she pulls her hand away, it is sticky with slightly coagulated blood. Worse still, is his leg. The bottom half is bent the wrong way, sticking out to the left. Once again, the gentle snick of Stephanie's scissors reveals the worst. It too, is black and blue. As Stephanie continues her assessment on the unmoving Steve, Danny is brought in, and suddenly, everything is worse. He's out. Chin had though he was fine, fighting the medic, being as stubborn s always. But now, he was motionless, pale and barely shivering.

"What happened?" Tony is quick to placate him.  
"He's alright. Hypothermia was setting in and he as delirious. I sedated him so he didn't hurt Steve or himself." He turns to his female partner. "I gave him a brief check while we were down there. Mild hypothermia and an aggravated knee injury. Scar shows he's likely had a reco done so I'm not hugely worried about that. What about him?" As he speaks, Tony is establishing an IV, pushing saline through, and stripping Danny of his wet clothes, quickly wiping him down with towels and replacing blankets over him in heaping piles.  
"Broken leg, not compound, I'll need your help setting it in a second. Broken fourth, fifth and eights rib, sternum is cracked and possibly broken. Fourth is pressing on his lung. I'm more worried about this head wound. Blunt force trauma, he hasn't shown any response so far." She too is stripping Steve, but the saline she pulls out is from a bag full of heat-packs. An oxygen mask is placed over his face after the IV is established, and the top half of his body is covered similarly to Danny's.  
"Tony, I need to set this leg. Blood flow's been cut off long enough, he's going to be lucky not to lose it as it is."  
The thought of Steve losing a leg has Chin blanching, and he looks away while the two medics position themselves on either side of the crooked leg. There is a sickening snap and Chin finally convinces himself to look. Steve hasn't moved, though his leg is resting at a more natural angle than previously. The two medics quickly work to splint the leg, and finally Steve is covered entirely in blankets. The two medics sit back. Steve and Danny are both lying on the floor of the helicopter, under piles of blanket. Steve had a bandage fixed around his head, a blood pressure cuff around his arm and an oxygen mask affixed to his face. He was barely shivering, weak shudders attempting to make their way up his body. Danny was looking much better. There is an inflated brace around his knee and a BP cuff around his arm, but he was no longer shivering and had more colour back in his face. It struck Chin as odd that Danny seemed much better off. He voiced his query.  
"It looks like Steve hit the water first, he would have taken most of the impact, that'll be where the leg and ribs came from and I'd say from the minor whiplash he's got that he snapped his head back and that's where the head injury is from. They would have both been mildly hypothermic when we found them, but the injuries will be making Steve's weaker so his body is having to work harder to warm him up." Almost on cue, Steve begins coughing. Steph is quick to jump up, gently lifting his upper body up, the difference audible as the wheezing splutter dies down.  
"How far out are we?" It's Tony this time, looking worriedly between where Steve lies prone, now propped up by one of the med bags and the small monitor he holds which show Steve's oxygen saturation nd blood pressure.  
"Ten minutes," the pilot replies, barely turning his head to look.  
"Make it five."

Danny's head feels heavy and his tongue fuzzy. He's warm, and for some reason, that is a nice surprise. He doesn't know why.  
"Daniel, can you hear me?" he furrows his brow. The only people who call him that are Rachel and his mother. He's pretty sure neither of them are here right now. Blinking his eyes open, he is proved wrong. Rachels dark hair and eyes invade his field of vision.  
"Rach?" She smooths her hand over his head.  
"Hey. Grace has been waiting for you." He can see her now, too, curled up at his sided, bunching up the white blankets. It's then he realises: he and Steve don't have sheets like these, white and scratchy. Rachel isn't ever in their house, it would be weird. So where's-  
"Steve!" he shoots up, startling his daughter awake.

"Danno!" she gives him a tight hug which he returns.  
"Rachel where is Steve?" Fear is engulfing him; his heart is hammering. He feels bad for not catching up with Grace, but she is here and warm and _alive_ and Steve isn't.  
"Calm down Daniel. What do you remember?"  
He wracks his brain. They were on a plane…With a flash, everything comes back, and he instinctively raises his hand, breathing a sigh of relief when he sees the ring there.  
Rachel smiles softly. "Congratulations Daniel."  
"Steve?" he is almost too scared to ask. Her face drops.  
"The two of you were brought in earlier this afternoon. They sedated you at the site to keep you calm." Danny glowers at that revelation, though he can now see the logic behind it and feel the embarrassment for his behaviour. "Steven has a broken leg, as well as a few ribs and a concussion. The concussion is the worry at the moment. There's some swelling of hi brain. They're optimistic it will come down with no lasting effects but for now they haven't been able to wake him. Oh Daniel, I'm so sorry."

Danny tries to stay calm. Grace has stayed silent, clinging on to him and he once again returns her embrace, slowing the breathing that is slowly getting out of control. He gathers his strength. Aside from some aches and the large brace around is knee, he's feeling okay.  
"I need to see him."  
"Danny, I don't think that's a good idea."  
"I. Need. To. See. Him." He grits out, already trying to push himself up. Rachel sighs.  
"I'll go get a nurse. Take care of him Grace." The young girl smiles in response.

A few minutes later, Rachel returns, a wheelchair-baring nurse in tow.  
"You'll only have a few minutes." Danny nods, already formulating a plan to get himself a room with his partner.  
When he rolls into Steve's room, a blanket covering him, Grace walking by his side and Rachel pushing the wheelchair. He's tired already from the short journey from his bed to the chair, natural, he's been told, with the remnants of a sedative still working its' way through his system. If he feels bad Steve look worse. Chin and Kono both greet him with a hug, before retreating to the chairs in the room. Rachel leaves him beside the best with a hand on his shoulder, saying she'll be back for Grace in an hour. Danny has eyes only for Steve. He's paler than Danny has ever seen him, stiller too. He's an active person, moving even in sleep. The only way Danny can keep him still is curling up to his chest and wrapping around him like an octopus. But now, his arms are still by his sides, a casted leg resting atop the sheets, an oxygen canula tucked under his nose. His chest is uncovered, bound by thick strips of crisp, white bandages. Danny reaches out, pulling his hand towards him. He brings it to his lips, kissing it gently before holding it between his two, noting how cold it is. Grace has given Steve a hug, and now curls up with her Auntie Kono. Danny settles back in his chair, anchoring himself to Steve, new ring glinting in the rays of the setting sun which come through the window. He's already rehearsing what he will say to his doctor to allow his bed to be moved in with Steve's.

* * *

Danny steadily improves in the following days. They'd been admitted on a Friday, and by the following Thursday Danny has been out of the hospital for a day and is gaining his mobility back. The mornings he spends at PT, the afternoons and evening at the hospital with Steve. Waiting. Steve's breathing has gotten better over the week, and the doctors had assured Danny the swelling was coming down. It was during his Thursday night visit something finally changed. Danny had spent the evening recounting the first camping trip Steve had taken Danny on, when he felt a finger in his hand twitch. He looked down, barely daring to breathe.

"Steve?" The finger moves again, just slightly. Steve's brow creases and Danny moves to gently press the call button. Steve's eyelashes flutter across pale cheeks.  
"Steve, open those baby blues for me." He strokes his thumb across Steve's hand as a nurse walks in.  
"Commander McGarrett can you hear me? She rubs her knuckles along his collarbone and he grimaces again. "Commander, can you open your eyes for me?" She makes eye contact with Danny, and nods.  
"Steve, babe open your eyes. I've been waiting for you." He squeezes his hand, and gasps.  
"He squeezed my hand!" The nurse smiles.  
"Keep talking to him."  
"Come on Steve. Stop being so stubborn and open your eyes." Finally, Steve's eyes crack open. With a croaky gasp, they snap closed. The nurse quickly moves in, peeling Steve's eyes open and shining a penlight in them. He moans weakly, attempting to toss his head away from the intrusive light. The nurse checks a few of the monitors and leans in close.  
"Can you tell me your name and rank please?"  
Steve's eyes are cracked, and he lips his lips slowly. " 'tenant com'ader st've j'mes 'garrett." Its slurred, but he's right.  
"Good job Commander. Last question. Can you tell me the year and who is next to you?"  
"t's 2011. And that's D'nno." The SEAL smiles, still looking slightly out of it. "I'm gunna m'rry 'im."  
The nurse laughs. "Well congratulations you two. Steve's primary will be in in about half an hour to do some other neuro checks, but I think you'll be fine. I'll give the two of you a bit to catch up." She winks, and leaves, the door closing softly behind her. Steve turns his head towards him, eyes hooded and a goofy smile on his face. Danny shuffles closer, encapsulating Steve's hand in his own.

Steve," he says, holding back the tears of the past week. "You are never taking me on a plane again."  
Steve laughs weakly, already looking ready to head back to sleep. Danny leans down to kiss him, lips gently brushing the pale forehead, a hand brushing through his hair, finding a neat row of seven stitches.  
"Remember you still owe me a proposal. A proper one. No more near-death experiences." As Steve's eyes slip closed, he murmurs out a sentence Danny can barely decipher. "I think that can be arranged."

* * *

Thank you so much for coming on this journey with me. I hope you've enjoyed Broken Blue. I'm thinking of doing oneshot with their wedding, would anyone be interested? Let me know. Please see below for the description of Truth and Lies (please note this story will deal with (m) rated themes and some triggering themes (noncon and some violence). The prologue is up and the first chapter will follow tomorrow.  
Rose xx

Truth and Lies:  
Danny and Steve are in love. At least Danny thinks they are. But that all changes when Steve comes home one night smelling of cigarette's he doesn't smoke and men that aren't Danny. And Danny knows their relationship can never be the same.


	4. Chapter 4

Hi Everyone!  
Head over to my profile for a new two-shot, Steve and Danny's wedding! Part one is out today and part two will be up tomorrow. Thanks so much for all the suport with Broken Blue. If you're interested, I have a new casefic (with a healthy dose of sick!Steve in the near future) up called Mua Hala, please check it out.p  
I'd love to hear what you think of my stories!  
Rose xx


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